Eliminated

In what was the foreseeable end to a dismal year, the Mets were finally mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after yesterday’s sweep of the doubleheader at the hands of the Phillies.

The nail in the coffin came in the night game, as old friend Pedro Martinez tossed a gem to the tune of eight innings, six hits and no runs.  Pedro walked two and struck out seven while on the mound.

Now, as if they weren’t before, the Mets are solely playing the role of spoilers.  Sure, it’d be nice to watch the Mets go around the league beating teams late in the year and making baseball all the more exciting down the stretch.  Too bad they’re struggling to win any games at all and spoiling likely won’t be happened much, if at all.

2009 was a year that started with tons of promise.  The team and the fans were jazzed up about what, on paper, looked like a magical year.  Too bad the paper it was written on and the players on the team were more fragile than tissue paper.

The Mets were an absolute nightmare this year.  The kind of nightmare that you tell your friends about because it’s so darn out there.

All in all, it was entertaining.  And I don’t mean like “whee-fun-yay!” entertaining.  I’m talking about the “oh-my-goodness-I-can’t-believe-this-is-happening-you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” entertaining.  Shock and awe type stuff.

I was never one to pack it all in, ditch the Mets gear until spring training type of guy.  I will continue to wear my Mets hat, shirts and other assorted team apparel gladly, and maybe partially for the pity.

Keep your heads high, Mets fans.  2010 is only months away, likely filled with some high hopes of at least improving on this year.

In the baseball world, it’s tough to predict what may happen from year to year.  No one was reading the tea leaves predicting this sort of Mets catastrophe.  Maybe karma will pay this Mets team a visit and pay us all back for the last three years of heartache and distress.

I think we’ve earned it.

Would you root for the New York Burros?

I was browsing one of my favorite sites today, mental_floss, and I came across an article entitled “What Your Favorite Team Was Almost Called.”

Obviously, this deals with the Mets, otherwise it wouldn’t be here.  Here’s what mental_floss had to say…

11. The New York Skyliners
Before the New York Mets started play in 1962, they considered a list of names that included the Skyliners, the Skyscrapers, the Bees, the Burros, the Continentals, and the Jets.

The New York Burros.  Interesting.  I get what they were trying to do with the “boroughs” = “burros” thing, but that name would backfire in the team’s face as soon as they performed poorly.

And since we all know a little Mets history, that 1962 season would have been quite interesting if they were in fact called the Burros.

And that makes two animal images on the blog today.

Twitter Poll: How will 2009 finish for the Mets?

I'm trying a new thing out here on the blog. I've fully embraced Twitter, and I'm going to be occasionally throwing out some questions or polls about the Mets on Twitter, and posting the responses here.

Last night, I asked my Twitter followers one question. Here are their responses to: How will 2009 finish for the New York Mets?

• letsgoduke said: playoffs. 50% chance division 50% chance wild card.
• metgirl4ever said: like the 2000 season, only better. A girl can dream, can't she?!?!
• citycynic said: Better than the last two seasons' last games.
• fullnelson said: Mets end season with playoffs NL wildcard
• Retire31 said: At least NL East champs. I think we go all the way this year.
• jsilberberg said: if we can't produce runs, not too far... how many runners are we gonna strand?
• justinleon said: Wild Card...barely.
• gmo418 said: Wild Card at worst. Still 161 games left though...long season.

And from the peanut gallery...

• kierankelly said: 2nd place in the NL East. Wild card and lose to the WFC in the NLCS. (ed. note: Good luck figuring out "WFC" Hint: He's a Phillies blogger.)
• rtjr said: dramatic game 7 loss to Pirates in the NLCS (ed. note: What else would you expect a Pirates blogger to say?)

The Mets may be playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball, so it's not going to be a breeze. I think they will make the playoffs via the wild card and eventually lose in the NLCS.

Not on Twitter? Hit the comments to put in your 2¢.

Follow me on Twitter to participate
in the next Twitter Poll!

The New York Mets, by the numbers

Here is a list of the active roster and non-roster invitees in spring training, and their uniform numbers. Players in bold are on the active roster.

1 -- Luis Castillo
3 -- Cory Sullivan
4 -- Robinson Cancel
5 -- David Wright
6 -- Nick Evans
7 -- Jose Reyes
9 -- Marlon Anderson
10 -- Andy Green
11 -- Ramon Castro
12 -- Alex Cora
13 -- Billy Wagner
15 -- Carlos Beltran
16 -- Angel Pagan
17 -- Fernando Tatis
18 -- Jeremy Reed
19 -- Ryan Church
21 -- Carlos Delgado
22 -- J.J. Putz
23 -- Brian Schneider
25 -- Pedro Feliciano
26 -- Rob Mackowiak
27 -- Nelson Figueroa
28 -- Daniel Murphy
29 -- Connor Robertson
30 -- Rocky Cherry
32 -- Carlos Muniz
33 -- John Maine
34 -- Mike Pelfrey
35 -- Brandon Knight
36 -- Darren O'Day
38 -- Tom Martin
39 -- Bobby Parnell
40 -- Eddie Kunz
43 -- Brian Stokes
44 -- Tim Redding
46 -- Oliver Perez
47 -- Casey Fossum
48 -- Sean Green
49 -- Jonathon Niese
50 -- Duaner Sanchez
56 -- Freddy Garcia
57 -- Johan Santana
63 -- Michel Abreu
65 -- Kyle Snyder
66 -- Matt DeSalvo
67 -- Fernando Martinez
68 -- Heriberto Ruelas
70 -- Jon Switzer
71 -- Tobi Stoner
72 -- Adam Bostick
73 -- Dillon Gee
75 -- Francisco Rodriguez
76 -- Omir Santos
77 -- Rene Rivera
78 -- Josh Thole
79 -- Jose Coronado
99 -- Jose Valentin

This list is from Mets.com, so if you have any others to fill in that you might have seen in a photo or video, please let me know.

The orange foul pole tradition continues

I'm not sure if this was a well known fact, but Shea Stadium could lay claim to the only non-yellow foul poles in MLB. They were, as you most likely are picturing right now, a New York Met orange.

I hadn't checked StadiumPage.com in a while, so I shot the Mets an e-mail yesterday. Just a few minutes ago, I got off the phone with a representative from the team. He told me, and now I see for myself, that the foul poles in Citi Field are also orange.

"The ownership was very adamant about having the orange foul poles," Chris, the representative said.

Here's an image from StadiumPage.com, taken this past weekend...

Bright orange, just like I remember.

I love this sort of stuff. Fun little facts and trivia like this are pretty much all I remember.

The other thing I e-mailed about will have to remain a secret, for now. Hopefully the team comes through with my little proposition.

Here's a strange one to start your day

Fletcher has been reading "The Yankee Years," and he occasionally throws up a quote or two from the latest chapter. Last night, he read this one aloud and it's too good to pass up.

It deals with the Mets, I promise.

George Steinbrenner would shovel debris out of six inches of gunky, green water while dressed in loafers and slacks if it meant winning a World Series, which is exactly what he was doing in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the 2000 World Series at Shea Stadium. A fire had started in a third-deck trash container at Shea. When firefights opened one standpipe to extinguish the fire, pressure built in another standpipe located over the Yankees' clubhouse. The pipe burst, spewing torrents of dirty water and eventually causing the clubhouse ceiling to collapse. Great waves of fetid water cascaded over the clubhouse, and headed in the direction of the Yankees' principal owner.
...

As firefighters arrived to shut off the standpipe and clean up the mess, Steinbrenner jumped in to help them. After they did the best they could to move the water out and shovel away the pieces of the demolished ceiling, Steinbrenner, soaked himself, took a wad of bills from his pocked and peeled off fifties and hundreds to give to the firefighters in appreciation of their effort.

What a peculiar story. Oh, and people said Shea wasn't a dump?

Does anyone remember this story from when it happened? I sure don't.

Because I so shamelessly stole his entire post, please go visit Scott Proctor's Arm.

Down to New York

Oh, yippee.

Freddy Garcia is reportedly down to choosing between the Yankees and the Mets for his team in 2009.

Via Ken Rosenthal:

Garcia would prefer a major-league contract, which would guarantee him termination pay if he were released in March, but might need to accept a minor-league deal.

---

The Mets are trying to sign a free-agent starter from a group consisting of left-hander Oliver Perez, right-hander Ben Sheet [sic] and lefty Randy Wolf.

Rosenthal also notes that the Mets and Yanks don't see Garcia as a definite addition to their rotations, making them less likely to offer him a major league contract.

Are the Mets just an average team heading into 2009?

Take a step back from all the hype. Forget about the rumors and possibilities. Looking at the team, right now, are the 2009 New York Mets just going to be an average team?

Let's go through the team, position by position, and figure out if the Mets can compete in the NL East.

Starting Pitching

Johan Santana is the anchor. He's one of the top 3 pitchers in the game, and will go out and perform every time he is called upon. He's pretty darn good, and we all know it. He'll be just fine, even if he is coming off meniscus surgery.

Mike Pelfrey had a great season, finally blooming into the pitcher Mets fans hoped he would be. He topped 200 innings pitched in '08, which was a jump of almost 130 innings. As I've brought up time and time again, Tom Verducci of SI.com has shown that young pitchers who make such a large jump from season to season, generally struggle the next year. Knowing that past history doesn't always show future performance, this still leaves me with a lot of doubt for Pelfrey's 2009 campaign.

John Maine, coming off an injury-shortened season and still recovering from surgery, is another question mark in the Mets rotation. If he can come out and pitch like 2007, everything will be fine, but that's a big "if." Mets fans should expect a season like last years, with Maine struggling with high pitch counts and decreased velocity. Maybe Dan Warthen can get Maine to go for the throat when he's ahead on batters, instead of dancing around the plate and running up to a full count pretty much every time. Maine could have a bounce back year, but I highly doubt it.

Next, I guess I'll talk about Tim Redding. The Mets, hopefully, are not done constructing their roster, but as of now Redding likely projects as the #4 starter. That's just not a good sign to begin with. A 34-51 pitcher, with a 4.92 ERA and 1.501 WHIP in his career, Redding should be a 5th starter.

Behind him, the Mets have rookie Jon Niese. He started three games in 2008, going 1-1 with a 7.07 ERA. His lone win was in an absolute masterpiece, allowing six hits over eight innings against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 13. But with only 14 innings under his belt, he is unproven at the major league level.

Hate to say it, but the Mets have one solid starter and four giant question marks. Even if the Mets manage to sign Oliver Perez or Ben Sheets, neither of them are spectacular signings, with Perez struggling with inconsistency and Sheets battling the injury bug. The Mets rotation is very weak.

Closer

Can't get much better than Francisco Rodriguez. He was an excellent signing -- due to his talent and the money the Mets will be paying him. Unfortunately, the only way he's worthwhile is if the team hands him a lead. He could have an excellent season, especially in the "weaker" NL. Great player who should shine if given the chance.

Set-up Man

J.J. Putz is a proven major league closer. With over 100 saves under his belt, he should make a great closer. I say "should" because we've all seen how most closers do in a non-save situation. The same mentality just isn't there and the closers often fail to shut the door. Hopefully (there's that word again), Putz can just pretend he's saving games and bridge the gap to Rodriguez in the 9th.

Rest of the Bullpen

Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, Brian Stokes and Carlos Muniz make up the bullpen. In order: not confident, specialist, OK, could be good, stinks. That's how I see them. Not very confident in this bullpen at all.

Catcher

I have no problem with Brian Schneider. Some pitchers may prefer Ramon Castro, and I'd like to see him get more time if healthy. Between the two, I think the Mets have some very well called games and decent production at the plate.

First Base

The second-half of 2008 for Carlos Delgado was in a word: Magical. It made most fans forget about his horrendous end of 2007 and beginning of '08. Will he be able to recreate June of '08 on? Probably not. Will he stink it up like the first half of the year? More likely. I expect something in between. Nothing earth-shattering, but nothing miserable. I'd like to see Daniel Murphy get groomed for this position, if he has the glove to stick there.

Second Base

Luis Castillo is pretty bad. With the slap hitting, the gimpy running and the injuries (not to mention the $18 million he's owed), he's a major hindrance to the team. I predict Alex Cora will start 40 games at second this season. Hopefully Murphy has improved his fielding and can play there.

Shortstop

Jose Reyes is the most exciting player in the game. Expect that to continue for years to come. Not worried about this position at all.

Third Base

David Wright will be fine. MVP in 2009?

Left Field

Platooning worries me. With Fernando Tatis and Murphy slated to split time in left, I'm not too confident in LF. Tatis is not going to have the same season again. That was a fluke. He'll be OK, but nothing like '08. Murphy might be on the brink of becoming the Mets young spark. The team needs to find a place for him, but wherever he plays, I hope he hits.

Center Field

Carlos Beltran is one of the most underrated players in the game. No, he won't hit for average, but he's one of the top 5 center fielders in the game. Mets fans should feel lucky to have him.

Right Field

Oh, concussions. Ryan Church, when healthy (beginning of the year) was excellent. Running down balls I didn't think he'd get to, hitting much better than expected and all around looking like a steal. Then the concussion in Atlanta happened and he wasn't the same player again. If he can play like he did pre-concussion, the Mets will be set in right. If not, there will be trouble.

Bench

Jeremy Reed, Marlon Anderson, Cora and Tatis or Murphy (depending on who is in LF) make up the Mets bench. I don't see Angel Pagan or Nick Evans making the team, but those two guys will be perfect to have waiting in the wings. Reed is the new Endy Chavez, as he is capable of playing any OF position. Anderson will likely see time at first base and will resume his pinch hitting duties. Cora will serve as the backup middle infielder. Tatis will likely play some first base and third base, along with his LF duties. Murphy might see time at second, depending on his spring training, but will likely see the majority of games in LF.

Overall

The Mets weakness is their pitching. The rotation simply is not that strong and the Mets are going to suffer. They focused on the end of games, but that will be a moot point if the team isn't getting a lead to the set-up man and closer.

I'm not overly impressed by the Mets right now. I think they're over-projecting Maine and Pelfrey in 2009. Redding and Niese at the back-end of the rotation is sickening. The offense shouldn't be a problem, with the core players carrying most of the weight. The rest should do their part, but not blow down the doors.

In conclusion, the Mets could finish anywhere from fourth to first (the Nationals are very bad) in the NL East. A run at first place would take a few mini-miracles and going relatively injury free through the season. It will be an uphill climb, no doubt.

Get your tickets

Tickets are...on sale!

40- and 15-game packages are up and ready to go.
Anyone getting seats? Anyone have extras? (hint hint)

Virtual tour of Citi Field

This is just too cool.

Things featured: Francisco Rodriguez's name featured on scoreboard, pitching against Ryan Howard. (He just threw a 96 mph strike), Luis Castillo(?) playing in the shift, the Home Run Apple, tucked away, K-Rod pitching to Howard, Carlos Beltran making a shoe-string catch on Howard's hit ball.

Johan Santana pitching (first to Jayson Werth (name on scoreboard) and then striking out Pedro Feliz), Castillo slapping a hit through the hole at 2B, Carlos Delgado sliding into third, David Wright smashing a home run off the second tier in left field, the Home Run Apple coming out in celebration.

The stats showed that Wright is a .301 hitter with 33 home runs, 124 RBI, 42 doubles, 115 runs, 15 stolen bases and a .533 slugging.

Fletcher has the video for the new Yankee Stadium.

Video: Meet the Mets, punkified (and butchered)

Via Big League Stew...

Slightly NSFW due to the use of the s-word in the intro.

Honestly, this song is terrible. If you need to cleanse your ears with the classic, click here.

Dates to look forward to

Baseball is getting closer and closer, and here are some key dates for Mets fans to look forward to...

• Feb. 13 -- Pitchers and catchers report.
• Feb. 17 -- Position players report.
• Feb. 19 -- First full workout.
• Feb. 25 -- First exhibition game @ Baltimore.
• March 5 -- Exhibition against Team Italy.
• March 8 -- Exhibition against U. of Michigan.
• April 3-4 -- Exhibition vs. Boston Red Sox @ Citi Field.
• April 6 -- First game of the season @ Cincinnati.
• April 13 -- Citi Field Home Opener against San Diego.

Some dates via Bart Hubbuch.

Quoted in Newsday

It's not the best quote in the world, but hey, I'm in Newsday!

Barbara Barker sent out a feeler on David Lennon's Newsday blog the other day asking fans about the recession and baseball. I shot her an e-mail, and she asked to talk to me over the phone.

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), I'm not from Long Island or New York, so I almost didn't make the cut. I must have persuaded her when I told her I can see the Long Island sound from my school -- or at least the sports center, to be more exact.

Here's my quote:

The signing even has brought a mixed reaction from hard-core Yankees fans, judging from responses to a query posted on Newsday's baseball blogs. Some, particularly younger fans, feel like Andrew Vazzano, a junior at Quinnipiac University, who says "a team has to spend money to make money." And other fans, even those who are thrilled that the Yankees are trying to improve, seem somewhat taken back by Sabathia's contract.

Now I'm not sure if I'm used separate from that Yankee statement, as just a baseball fan in general, or if she goofed. Obviously, I bleed orange and blue.

I did talk a lot about the Yankees on the phone, so I can see why she could have made the mistake. I guess it's because I feel like the Mets got Francisco Rodriguez for a steal, and traded for J.J. Putz while the Yankees went out and spent considerably more money for their big acquisitions.

Either way, it's pretty cool to see your name in print. Maybe one day I'll be writing the articles...Wouldn't that be nice!

Check out the full article right here. It's worth the read.

Link: Mets all time home grown team vs. acquired team

Head over to Sully Baseball to check out the NEW YORK METS - ALL TIME HOME GROWN TEAM vs. ALL TIME ACQUIRED TEAM.

Love the Anthony Young reference.

Mets sign Francisco Rodriguez -- pending physical

According to a the Associated Press, the Mets and free agent Francisco Rodriguez have agreed to a three-year deal, with a vesting option for a fourth year.

The deal is supposedly worth $37 million, plus incentives.

The vesting option would likely be triggered by innings pitched or saves converted and is worth $14 million.

Update - 3:44 pm: News on the vesting option, via Ken Rosenthal.

That vesting option is within reach as long as Rodriguez pitches his normal number of innings as a closer, either in the third year of the deal or in a combination of years two and three. "Basically, he's just got to be healthy," one source said.

Joel Sherman claims that K-Rod may be in New York as early as Wednesday for his physical with the team.

Again, that is three-year, $37 million deal with a $14 million vesting option for a fourth year.

Let's make sure all the parts work the same before we begin to sing his praises as a member of the Mets. Don't want to be the party-pooper here, but let the Mets doctors get their hands on him to see if all is in working order.

Update - 4:06 pm: The Mets have the 25th pick in the first-round of the First Year Player Draft, which will be heading into the Angels hands with this signing. They will also receive a supplemental pick.

If the Mets happen to sign another Type A player who was offered arbitration, the picks are divvied out to the appropriate teams by the caliber of the players signed.

Manners?! We don't need no stinkin' manners!

If the Mets sign Francisco Rodriguez (I'm still using "if" until this thing is official. Remember Yorvit Torrealba?) prepare for more angry Phillies fans.

We always hear about how excitable and immature the Mets are, especially with Jose Reyes and his dancing. Well, K-Rod is probably one of the most over-the-top players in the league. Have you seen him celebrate a save?

It seems the Mets are sliding away from David Wright's pretty-boy image, and more toward the rough and tumble competitive side we've seen in all players at some time.

And I celebrate this.

The Mets have tried to stay "classy" for years, trying to show the upper hand in all of this. Meanwhile, the grittier Phillies have, well, you know.

It's time this team got some attitude, some spunk. Let's sign K-Rod and let's start celebrating victories with some screaming, fist pumping and even some dancing.

2009 Hall of Fame ballot

Ten new players have been added the the Hall of Fame ballot for the 2009, some of whom logged time with the New York Mets.

The 10 players added, with the ones with Mets games under their belt are in italicized: Rickey Henderson, Jay Bell, David Cone, Ron Gant, Mark Grace, Jesse Orosco, Dan Plesac, Greg Vaughn, Mo Vaughn and Matt Williams.

So half of the new eligible players played with the Mets at some time. Henderson logged 152 games with the Mets in 1999 and 2000, and also served as first base coach for part of a season. Bell played in 72 games in 2003.

Cone pitched from 1987 to 1992 with the Mets, until he was traded to Toronto for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson. Vaughn played two seasons with the Mets in '02 and '03. His '03 campaign was cut short by injury. I'll never forget his mammoth home run off the scoreboard at Shea Stadium.

Orosco had the longest tenure with the team, playing from 1979 to 1987. We all remember the fateful glove toss at the end of the '86 World Series. I don't think that glove has come down yet.

It's up to you now, Baseball Writers Association of America. Put some semi-Mets in the hall!

Somehow, this Citigroup thing is the Mets fault

Only Wallace Matthews could place blame on the Mets for the economic downturn.

In his latest column, Matthews writes:

The Mets should be embarrassed to emblazon their new park with the name of an outfit whose players performed even worse than the team did last year. They should be ashamed of using your money to advertise their (worthless) services. If they had any ethics, they would cancel the deal now and start looking for a sponsor that can actually pay its own bills.

But they don't, and they won't.

Right. Because it's the Mets fault Citigroup is laying off 52,000 and just got a check from the US gov't.

The Mets should just say, "You know what, take your $400 million, I'm sure with this economy, companies will be lining up around the corner!"

You're crazy, Matthews. If a team turned down $400 million right now, they'd be insane. This isn't the Mets fault, and don't try to pin it on them. Citigroup screwed up, and was lucky enough to get our money to save their butts. As I said yesterday, think of it as one giant commercial. They can do whatever they want with their commercials, why should we be able to say what they do with their naming rights.

Downright silly.

2008 all over again

During the GM Meetings in California last week, news was flying left and right and rumors were swirling that seemingly everyone was on the trading block. Now that those meetings are over, I haven't read anything worthwhile dealing with baseball in days.

That leaves Andrew without baseball related material to write about.

That got me thinking about 2008 (again). What if the Mets made the playoffs and got bounced in the first round? Would that have pleased the fans, just because they actually made the playoffs?

Obviously, we want the team to win the World Series. Too bad that can't happen every year. With the Mets missing the playoffs, in grand fashion in 2007, if the Mets slipped into the playoffs somehow in 2008 I doubt fans would have been all right with just a brief appearance.

The Mets may have alienated some of their fan base with the '07-'08 campaigns. They're going to have to do a lot to re-solidify their trust.

So if the Mets somehow made it into the playoffs in 2008, and got swept out in the first round, would you have been happy?

Eight years ago today: Bat-gate, the Piazza / Clemens bat toss

Now doesn't that make you feel old?

Eight years ago, Oct. 22, 2000, was that fateful meeting between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza in the World Series.

The at-bat was highly anticipated, thanks to Clemens beaning Piazza in the head in July of that year, and it did not pass without incident. I'm sure you all remember the bat shattering, Clemens retrieving a shard of that bat, and flinging it in Piazza's direction.

Clemens still maintains he was "just tossing" the bat away, but no one in their right mind couldn't see the intent from The Rocket.

I'll never forget that moment. It was one of the games I actually stayed awake for (I was 11).

Frozen in time, Clemens rearing back to deliver the piece of bat in the direction of Piazza:Does that look like "just a toss" to you?? Yeah, right!

We still miss you, Mike. Maybe he can be the next third base coach?